Cruise ship returns to shore after norovirus strikes hundreds for third time in past week

Another cruise ship has been ordered back to port after the second consecutive outbreak of stomach illness the norovirus hit Princess Cruises, resulting in more than 3,000 passengers having their dream vacations cut short.

The ship was ordered back to Port Everglades on Tuesday for
special cleansing, ending its voyage two days early.

Passengers will
miss port calls in Aruba and Curacao.

Outbreak: The Crown Princess was ordered back to Port Everglades on Tuesday for special cleansing, ending its voyage two days early

Disease: The norovirus spreads easily, causing more than 20 million gastroenteritis cases each year in the U.S. and there's no vaccine to prevent it

It is the second outbreak to hit a Princess ship in recent days and the third to hit the cruise ship industry in the last week.

The vessel Ruby Princess sailed on Sunday from Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades after being decontaminated.

Port Everglades spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that the Ruby Princess was cleaned Sunday and departed.

Passengers were informed of the virus and cleanup as they waited to board.

Princess Cruise Lines operates the ship and another, the Crown Princess, that sailed from Fort Lauderdale after cleaning.

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Norovirus causes upset stomach, vomiting and diarrhea. They are the most common cause of gastroenteritis in the United States.

CDC estimates that each year more than 20 million cases of acute gastroenteritis are caused by noroviruses.

The Crown Princess was brought back to port two days early on Thursday.

Contaminated: The Ruby Princess was one of three cruise ships that docked in Florida and Louisiana over the weekend with outbreaks of norovirus

Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Sea left New Orleans a couple of hours late on Saturday because of the same illness.

On the current cruise, 114 passengers and 59 crew members have come down with gastrointestinal problems.

On the previous cruise of the ship, 364 passengers and 30 crew members were stricken by the illness.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control maintains an online database of norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships.

Outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness on cruise ships participating in the CDC program are posted online by the CDC when they take place on voyages from three to 21 days, when the ships are carrying 100 or more passengers, and when three per cent or more of passengers or crew reported symptoms of diarrheal disease to the ship’s medical staff during the trip.

The CDC says that norovirus is highly contagious and spreads from person to person, through contaminated food or water, and by touching contaminated surfaces.

Careful handwashing with soap and water is key to the prevention of the spread of norovirus.

Contaminated surfaces must be cleaned and disinfected thoroughly to prevent continued spread of the disease.

Vicky Garcia, an executive vice
president for Cruise Planners/American Express in Coral Springs, told the Sun Sentinel: 'It's not a [cruise] ship disease. It happens elsewhere.'

Princess Cruise Lines said they will be refunding the cruise fare, help arrange flights home, pay for flight change fees, provide hotel accommodation if necessary, and offering a 25 per cent discount on a future cruise.

Princess said the next scheduled cruise of the Crown Princess, set to leave on February 11, will leave on time, according to the Miami Herald.

These outbreaks of the norovirus comes just weeks after the Costa Concordia cruise liner disaster in Italy, which claimed the lives of ten people.

This latest news could damage the worldwide cruise industry even further.